Most helpful positive review

Okay, I will say I'm very partial to this mouse, but I'm going to try and write an objective review here for kicks. I'm going to break this down into topical sections for easy digestion.

=== Tracking ===Tracking is, surprisingly for a Bluetooth mouse, superbly smooth in everyday use. (I'm not an FPS gamer, so I can't comment on the performance for twitch gaming.) Pointer movement is very smooth and consistent, as with the best corded and non-BT cordless mice. Also, in my tests, the mouse tracked perfectly on a white laminate table and a brushed aluminum table -- both difficult surfaces for many laser and optical mice.

Many reviewers have complained that the tracking is too slow, even at the highest speed setting. Although I haven't experienced this problem, I believe it is real for those people; but I think it must be a problem that is specific to their particular software and/or hardware environment, by no means a universal problem. (The Magic Mice at the Apple Stores I've been to have not manifested it.) These users may find relief with a new third-party freeware called BetterTouchTool, which has a greater range of mouse speed adjustment than Apple's prefpane -- more on BetterTouchTool below.

=== Scrolling ===The touch-based scrolling is a revelation. I leave the momentum option on, and scrolling through long web pages is a dream. So smooth! The scrolling action is similar to dragging the slider on a scroll bar, rather than clicking the up/down scroll buttons as it is with most other mice. After having used the Magic Mouse and its amazing scrolling talents for a couple of weeks, when I'm now forced to use conventional mice, the scrolling feels jumpy and crude. That said, I do sometimes miss the feel of turning a physical scroll wheel. I'd say that a physical wheel might provide more predictable scrolling. But the nearly pixel-precise scrolling action of the Magic Mouse just feels really luxurious. The only thing I would ask Apple to improve is to let users adjust the "friction" of the momentum scrolling with a slider in the prefpane. I would reduce the friction a bit.

=== Buttons/Configurability ===As you will know already, this is a one-button mouse that can be used as a two-button mouse thanks to smart software. I have experienced zero problems with the mouse distinguishing between left and right clicks. It is true that the mouse does not recognize right clicks when your index finger is resting on the mouse. This hasn't been a problem for me at all, because for some reason I naturally lift my index finger slightly when I start pushing down with my middle finger. The other thing that is widely known is that there is no provision for middle clicks or other actions besides the ones mentioned in the product literature. Apple really has a lot of room for improvement in the device driver in this area.

But what is perhaps less known is that there is an excellent little freeware third-party app called BetterTouchTool (for OS X only) that addresses these shortcomings very well. For example, you can map a three-finger tap to Expose or any key combination. It is an absolute must. The app is still in a very early development phase and is frequently updated (sometimes several times in one day), and there are several features yet to be fully implemented, but already it has removed all cause for complaint about lack of configurability, as far as I'm concerned.

=== Ergonomics ===The mouse's shape takes some getting used to. It's very low, which discourages resting your palm on it (or wrapping your whole hand around it). The sharp edges also detract from holding this mouse as you would rounder ones. The optimum way I've found to hold this mouse is to lightly grip its sides, with my thumb on one side, my ring finger and pinkie on the other, and my palm making no contact with the top. This is easy to do because the sides curve inward from top to bottom, providing a sure grip. It's a sort of dainty way to hold the mouse, but it works, and it also minimizes accidental scrolling, which happens sometimes when you inadvertently touch the top. As a bonus, the aluminum sides provide a nice, cool sensation to the fingertips when you grab it again after letting it rest for a while.

Another ergonomic quibble I have is that the smooth plastic top of the mouse produces too much friction when my fingers are not perfectly dry. The textured glass of Apple's latest trackpads is much better in this regard. As a workaround, I have taken to putting a little light oil on the mouse top to reduce this friction and make scrolling easier.

=== Conclusion ===This is an unusual and innovative mouse that unfortunately demands some adjustment in usage habits to get the best results, but then rewards you with superior functionality -- especially with an assist from some third-party software.

Most helpful critical review

3To avoid accidental scrolling, it's a pain in the hand -- or use 3rd party software to fix!

ByHowardHon August 8, 2010

I've given up using this expensive mouse for two reasons.1. Regardless of the settings, I've found it scrolling when I didn't want it to.2. In avoiding accidental scrolling, I feel pain in my hand, because I can't rest my hand on the mouse without it scrolling.It's a circular problem.I really wish Apple released a Mighty Mouse with an optical scroll ball, instead of that horrible mechanical one, that is so unreliable.

UPDATE:My Magic Mouse was saved from being given away, by a piece of software called MagicPrefs, It allows you to set the active scrolling area. I set mine to a 1/2-inch strip between the left & right 'button areas' and, from the center to the top of the mouse. I can now rest my hand on the mouse properly, and there is no pain. Apple should have included software to do this, as the mouse is quite good to use with MagicPrefs. The software allows you to add tons of gestures to the MM and have it do all kinds of fun things, but all I really wanted was to reduce the size of the scrolling area.

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Okay, I will say I'm very partial to this mouse, but I'm going to try and write an objective review here for kicks. I'm going to break this down into topical sections for easy digestion.

=== Tracking ===Tracking is, surprisingly for a Bluetooth mouse, superbly smooth in everyday use. (I'm not an FPS gamer, so I can't comment on the performance for twitch gaming.) Pointer movement is very smooth and consistent, as with the best corded and non-BT cordless mice. Also, in my tests, the mouse tracked perfectly on a white laminate table and a brushed aluminum table -- both difficult surfaces for many laser and optical mice.

Many reviewers have complained that the tracking is too slow, even at the highest speed setting. Although I haven't experienced this problem, I believe it is real for those people; but I think it must be a problem that is specific to their particular software and/or hardware environment, by no means a universal problem. (The Magic Mice at the Apple Stores I've been to have not manifested it.) These users may find relief with a new third-party freeware called BetterTouchTool, which has a greater range of mouse speed adjustment than Apple's prefpane -- more on BetterTouchTool below.

=== Scrolling ===The touch-based scrolling is a revelation. I leave the momentum option on, and scrolling through long web pages is a dream. So smooth! The scrolling action is similar to dragging the slider on a scroll bar, rather than clicking the up/down scroll buttons as it is with most other mice. After having used the Magic Mouse and its amazing scrolling talents for a couple of weeks, when I'm now forced to use conventional mice, the scrolling feels jumpy and crude. That said, I do sometimes miss the feel of turning a physical scroll wheel. I'd say that a physical wheel might provide more predictable scrolling. But the nearly pixel-precise scrolling action of the Magic Mouse just feels really luxurious. The only thing I would ask Apple to improve is to let users adjust the "friction" of the momentum scrolling with a slider in the prefpane. I would reduce the friction a bit.

=== Buttons/Configurability ===As you will know already, this is a one-button mouse that can be used as a two-button mouse thanks to smart software. I have experienced zero problems with the mouse distinguishing between left and right clicks. It is true that the mouse does not recognize right clicks when your index finger is resting on the mouse. This hasn't been a problem for me at all, because for some reason I naturally lift my index finger slightly when I start pushing down with my middle finger. The other thing that is widely known is that there is no provision for middle clicks or other actions besides the ones mentioned in the product literature. Apple really has a lot of room for improvement in the device driver in this area.

But what is perhaps less known is that there is an excellent little freeware third-party app called BetterTouchTool (for OS X only) that addresses these shortcomings very well. For example, you can map a three-finger tap to Expose or any key combination. It is an absolute must. The app is still in a very early development phase and is frequently updated (sometimes several times in one day), and there are several features yet to be fully implemented, but already it has removed all cause for complaint about lack of configurability, as far as I'm concerned.

=== Ergonomics ===The mouse's shape takes some getting used to. It's very low, which discourages resting your palm on it (or wrapping your whole hand around it). The sharp edges also detract from holding this mouse as you would rounder ones. The optimum way I've found to hold this mouse is to lightly grip its sides, with my thumb on one side, my ring finger and pinkie on the other, and my palm making no contact with the top. This is easy to do because the sides curve inward from top to bottom, providing a sure grip. It's a sort of dainty way to hold the mouse, but it works, and it also minimizes accidental scrolling, which happens sometimes when you inadvertently touch the top. As a bonus, the aluminum sides provide a nice, cool sensation to the fingertips when you grab it again after letting it rest for a while.

Another ergonomic quibble I have is that the smooth plastic top of the mouse produces too much friction when my fingers are not perfectly dry. The textured glass of Apple's latest trackpads is much better in this regard. As a workaround, I have taken to putting a little light oil on the mouse top to reduce this friction and make scrolling easier.

=== Conclusion ===This is an unusual and innovative mouse that unfortunately demands some adjustment in usage habits to get the best results, but then rewards you with superior functionality -- especially with an assist from some third-party software.

I've given up using this expensive mouse for two reasons.1. Regardless of the settings, I've found it scrolling when I didn't want it to.2. In avoiding accidental scrolling, I feel pain in my hand, because I can't rest my hand on the mouse without it scrolling.It's a circular problem.I really wish Apple released a Mighty Mouse with an optical scroll ball, instead of that horrible mechanical one, that is so unreliable.

UPDATE:My Magic Mouse was saved from being given away, by a piece of software called MagicPrefs, It allows you to set the active scrolling area. I set mine to a 1/2-inch strip between the left & right 'button areas' and, from the center to the top of the mouse. I can now rest my hand on the mouse properly, and there is no pain. Apple should have included software to do this, as the mouse is quite good to use with MagicPrefs. The software allows you to add tons of gestures to the MM and have it do all kinds of fun things, but all I really wanted was to reduce the size of the scrolling area.

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Alright, I was going to return this mouse an hour after using it. THAT IS UNTIL I installed MagicPref from the Apple website. The tracking was S-L-O-W. My arm was killing me because the even with my small hands my hands felt uncomfortable. Worst yet was the 3rd button is now gone and I couldn't use Final Cut Pro or Maya.

I now can do everything I can with my Mac Book Pro track-pad. Apple is an innovator.

The design is slick and I can maneuver the magic mouse with little effort. I enjoy working on my graphics with this mouse. I am about to play a first person shooter (FPS) game to see if there are any lag, and how this performs on rail games.

So here is my break down: (I took the format another GREAT reviewer on Amazon)

Tracking--Tracking VERY smooth in everyday use and for FPS games. For having no cords and using solely Bluetooth.Install "MagicPref" on the Apple website or just google it, and your tracking problems will be solved. Not only that, you will discover MANY MANY other features your magic mouse can do.

Buttons --This is a one-button mouse that can be used as a three-button mouse thanks to smart software. I have experienced zero problems with the mouse distinguishing between left and right clicks and middle click.

Configuration --There is so much you can configure on this mice. Things such as:Clicks and Taps, Swipes, Drag, and Pinch, touch sensitivity, and Extra track speed.You can also configure for Expose, Space, Dashboard, ect.

Scrolling --All I can say about this is I LOVE IT!! I love momentum scrolling and with touch sensitivity adjusted, I can control the friction and speed of the scroll.

I can scroll in a website, scroll to another page, scroll to another program, scroll, left right up down with speed and little effort.

Ergonomics --Don't expect to wrap your hand around this skinny mouse. Even with my small hands I can't get my whole hand around it, let alone rest my palm on it as I maneuver the mouse around. Fortunately, I don't have to manuever the mouse around since I was able to configure it to play games, do graphics, and everyday use settings.

Overall - - I think this is a great mouse for having absolutely NO cords. Great on FPS games, just not as great as my $200 gaming mouse though, but equal to my mid-end gaming mouse. Do note that it will taking a little bit of getting use to.

Great desgin and functionality. I can now have other uses with my Function keys and USB ports open for other things.LOVE IT!!!

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After having this for a few weeks now and the novelty of it has worn off I can say it's an OK mouse. Not great, just OK. The scrolling action on it just rules. I keep using it just for that. There is a hack to make the momentum scrolling work in 10.5, do a quick google search and you can find it. The bluetooth does have quirks. Sometimes the mouse will just disconnect and I have to turn it off and back on to continue using it. The overall feel of mouse is odd. It is really low and it just never feels right in the hand. Also, it does require a lot of pressure to click. I'm used to barely clicking and you gotta push this down with some authority. It's not a gaming mouse by any means. I'm going to keep using this until I can find something that fits my hand better.

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I've had this mouse for a month and a half now, and it's my absolute favorite mouse I've ever had for both comfort and functionality, BUT buyers really need to be aware that it REQUIRES a 3rd-party app to make it worth it's price.

Pros: love the precision ergonomics, the over all feel and durability, 360 scrollingCons: Apple gimped the standard software so bad, you need to install another (free) app just to use it properly

At first I was wary of the Magic Mouse's low profile, but after only an hour or two of using, I found my hand grew used to holding it a little differently to compensate. My last mouse was a Logitech G5, so I was used to holding my mouse in the palm of my hand as I moved it, but with the Magic Mouse, I found it easiest to hold my hand *above* the mouse, grip it with my thumb, little finger, and ring finger, and use my pointer and index finger to left/right click and scroll. This actually worked out very well because the table I'm used to typing at is a little low for my posture, so the Magic Mouse has actually corrected my posture and straightened out my wrist.

The mouse is quite sensitive, and the 360 scroll needed only a few uses for me to swear that I would never go back to the ol' scroll wheel if I could help it. This mouse really makes every move I make with it feel very precise, and it's really appreciated.

HOWEVER, and this is a massive thing, Apple's software is absurdly limited. How limited, say you? So limited that the only functions supported are left-click, right-click, and 360 scroll. No middle-click, no simul-click, no swipes. Apple's $60 magic mouse, out of the box, has barely more functionality than a $10 off-brand 2-button scroll-mouse.

Thankfully, the Internet comes to the rescue! There's already a handful of 3rd-party applications available that unlock the potential of this mouse and turn it from a 1-star clunker to a 5-star masterpiece. I use BetterTouchTool (still in alpha), folks may prefer to use the more polished, if not as versatile, MouseWizard or MagicPrefs. BetterTouchTool is a free app which adds support for up to 115 actions (23 gestures + fn/ctrl/alt/cmd mods) which can be mapped to pre-set functions or keyboard macros, even by application, including taps, finger swipes, and re-mapping the surface of the mouse for different functions (like middle-click). I have different swipes and taps set up to browse the net, use Office, and play WoW. I have never, ever had the ability to customize a mouse in so many useful ways so easily.

In short, this is a fantastic mouse, but anyone who wants it to be worth their money is going to have to be comfortable downloading software that's in development which requires some customization. If that's not your cup of tea, you're better off spending your $60 on Logitech or Razer's better offerings. Gamers who require simul-click are probably still better off with a large gaming mouse with ergonomic grips on the side and discrete buttons.

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I did not see this listed for anyone else so maybe I just got a really bad one. But I have had this mouse (I am guessing it is the same one listed here) for over a year. It came with my new Mac. I only have to replace the batteries in my keyboard about every 6 to 9 months. The mouse I am replacing batteries every month even with the expensive camera alkaline batteries that are suppose to last so much longer. The mouse is killing me with paying out so much for batteries. I also have a battery charger to help, but it just doesn't seem that I should be replacing batteries this often.

I have no problem with the use of it, just how expensive it is with buying batteries so often, besides being a pain to constantly be messing around replacing them.

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I'm a computing engineer, and use the mouse 20% - 25% of the time, because I prefer keyboard shortcutsEven in this way, with low mouse usage, it's VERY uncomfortable. It seems like the manufacturer NEVER have tested this mouse for 1 or 2 hoursSince it is very small, it creates a big space between the hand and the mouse, that becomes in a pain in few hours (pictures attached)

If you want an expensive beautiful uncomfortable mouse, this is the one. Otherwise choose an ergonomic one (probably cheaper)

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I feel the same about the magic mouse as I do about the iMac - once the COOL/WOW wears off I find it less practical than I had hoped.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE MAGIC MOUSE:1. Touch scrolling! What a great idea. I can control the up/down scroll of a web page or Word doc very precisely. Hands down the best thing about the magic mouse.

2. Wireless. Most mouses are wireless now so that is not a unique feature.

WHAT I DISLIKE ABOUT THE MAGIC MOUSE:

1. SLOW. SLOW. SLOW. Even with a third party accelerator the tracking is TOO SLOW. If you think I am unusual in that just google "magic mouse slow" - you will see thousands of comments from others who feel the same. This is particularly a problem when you are working on a wide screen format monitor, such as with the iMac. Click and drag something from one end of the screen to the other and you find that sometimes you have to actually pick the mouse up on your pad and put it back down to continue scrolling, at which point you will accidentally unclick and drop whatever it was you were dragging since the magic mouse has no distinct buttons. This is EXTREMELY irritating. I find that the magic mouse drastically slows down my speed and efficiency on the computer.

2. Right Click. Frequently doesn't respond at all or mistakes a right click for a left click. This is one of those cases where Apple's focus on design - having no external buttons - has superceded the functionality of the object.

Given that the tracking is slow and the right click is not reliable - that makes for a pretty poor mouse experience. The scrolling is nice but that alone doesn't make it great. Overall I have to give the magic mouse a thumbs down.

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I cannot stress how poor of an investment this mouse is. A good mouse only needs to satisfy a few needs, and this so-called "Magic Mouse" fails at every one of them.

1. Comfort - This is a big one for me. I design games and work an online job, necessitating 40+ hours a week on my iMac easily. I've owned this computer (and this mouse) for over a year, and I can honestly say this is the worst mouse I've ever used for comfort. Apple, as usual, emphasizes eye-popping looks over comfort or practicality, and after about an hour with this mouse you wonder if they ever actually tested it. Almost immediately you'll notice the almost sharp edge cut into the side of your hand. There's nowhere comfortable for your pinky to go--it's forced to dangle across the edge of the mouse given it's poor shape. It appears to have been designed for initial wow and not actual use...as a mouse...

2. Usability - This kinda goes both ways. This mouse, being a giant touch-panel, makes certain things quite nice. Scrolling through pages is quite comfortable allowing for the same accelerator-controlled scrolling as a touchpad or iPhone. You can also grab-scroll, allowing easy finger-drag movement in 4 directions. The sesitivity for this is iffy though, and tends to lock into 2-directional scrolling before you're able to convince it you meant to be able to move in 4 directions. That's kind of difficult to explain, but you'll notice it soon. This is really the only advantage this type of mouse gives in my experience. The aftertised 2-finger swipes are more of a gimmick--they have about a 50% success rate and only serve as a back or forward button when browsing or a host of other similarly useless functions...most considerably-cheaper mice have other buttons that provice this functionality anyways. On the downside? Accidental mouse-wheeling is almost a given. I often get my contact pre-click confused for a swipe and sling whatever I'm working on off-screen. Gaming with this mouse is abhorrent for this reason--I can't play certain games without disabling mouse wheel functionality entirely, as the game will randomly decide I meant to switch through all my guns 3 times instead of touch the mouse. It's a huge, huge pain. Using this mouse for anything other than OSX (such as XP through bootcamp) is frustrating as well since the accelerometer support isn't quite right. It tends to read a ton of up or down "clicks" any time you touch the surface of the mouse. There's also the issue of no true right-click. If the mouse could sense your finger correctly this wouldn't be an issue, but I've made giant gaming mistakes right-clicking only to have my mouse decide I meant to left-click. I lost about 20 minutes of progress earlier today from this very issue, in fact. It's something you keep thinking you'll be able to learn to stop doing, but it's not you--it's the mouse.

3. Reliability - All wireless mice need this in spades. This mouse is both wireless and bluetooth, so you'd think it'd be top-tier as far as wireless mice are concerned. This couldn't be further from the truth. This mouse up and looses it's bluetooth connection to my computer constantly, and I have no other signals interfering with it. For whatever reason XP handles it fine, but OSX looses the connection for about a minute at a time so often it goes from frustrating to kind of funny. Every time I change batteries, it spends about an hour losing its connection every 5-10 minutes. When it's connected, however, it works quite well--never have I had the mouse delay my input or behave strangely, either while doing work-related activity or while playing games. For a wireless mouse, this is nice (and better than every wireless USB-dongle mouse I've ever used.), but sadly it's also standard among all bluetooth devices.

So in summation, what you're left with is a shiny mouse you'll like looking at for an hour. After about an hour, you'll notice that it isn't comfortable in your hand, that the touch-surface adds little to nothing to the experience and is more a hindrance than a help, and you lose connection with alarming regularity despite being the mouse packed-in with the computer you bought. You also can't play games with it at all...I had better luck gaming with the touch pad on my old Dell laptop than I've had with this actual mouse.

Then you realize it'd 70 bucks and never on sale. For 70 bucks, you could get 2 much more capable mice that will treat both you and OSX much better than this one will. If you're also a Windows user via bootcamp? Stay away from this thing like the plague. I recently got a 33 dollar Rocketfish mouse that runs circles around this thing--and not one connection drop on either OS.

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I've had this mouse for a few weeks. I'm a huge Apple fan (and stockholder) and drink the cool aid like anyone else. I've had Macs for over twenty years and have never had any hand or wrist issues. I loved this mouse in the store where I used it for a minute or two. But I seriously expect I would develop carpel tunnel if I continue using it; after just a couple of weeks my index finger is tingling, and my wrist aches. Why? First off, it's heavy - lifting it and moving it around is loud and clunky; which also makes it difficult to carefully select one character or word when editing text. Second, it's very very low profile, almost flat - flop down your hand naturally on a table and see what shape it creates - this mouse doesn't honor that natural arch. But the tipping point for me was that it has a mind of its own - I would just be resting my hand and reading a Word doc when the document would scroll full the right and I'd be looking at a white screen. In Dreamweaver, InDesign and other apps, spurious commands would make it zoom full down for no reason. You could call it "magic" all right! It sure looks cool and demos well, but be sure to keep the receipt and watch that 30 day limit if you decide to buy.